Each surgical procedure requires the use of small, sharp surgical instruments, such as needles, knives, staples and the like. Medical requirements dictate that strict inventory control will be performed during the use of these instruments in order to prevent any of these instruments from being left within the human body after the closure of the incision. Most of the present instruments are disposable and considered contaminated after use and should be discarded safely. Therefore, strict and exact accountability and a safe method of disposing of each and every instrument is required. In addition to the safety requirements for the patient and the operating room personnel, in the case of a dropped instrument, resterilization is required prior to use.
In the past, attempts have been made to utilize magnetic devices to hold the instruments within a control area:
United States Patent No. 3,727,658 -- Eldridge (1973), utilizes magnetic strips on a foam pad. The entire assembly is sealed within a plastic cover sheet. This assembly may be rather easily pierced or cut by the sharp surgical instruments resulting in a potential danger of lost instruments or injury to operating room personnel. Further, when in use, the device requires that instruments be placed directly upon the magnetic strips and not the adjacent foam areas, otherwise the device will not retain the instrument. Additionally, unless an adhesive material is placed along the periphery of the pad for edge sealing purposes, it is possible for instruments to be dislodged from the pad and become lost once the pad is folded. Such an adhesive would present a serious contamination problem in a sterile environment, and would also inconvenience the user as the adhesive sticks to surgical latex gloves.
United States Patent No. 3,546,643 -- Virostek (1970), teaches the use of a perforated rubber mat with magnetics placed in the perforations and an outer sealing skin enclosing the entire assembly. This results in a complex, expensive device which must be re-used repeatedly.
The present invention addresses itself generally to a hinged sterilizable disposable container for magnetizable instruments. It is considered of primary importance to assure the total containment of the instruments within the container, thereby eliminating problems of loss or danger of injury to operating personnel during the handling and discarding of such instruments. Further, the container must be economical and convenient to use.